Dalu (The Big Road) is a very strong film. Technically, it has big problems with the soundtrack - it appears as if the available equipment could only handle loud sound: a crying baby, multi-voice singing, airplane noise, etc. There is one solo song ("Goodnight little swallow") that must have been lovely, but suffers much from the sound quality. So over longer passages, this film rather stays silent, and all dialogs are on intertitles (Chinese only).

That said, Dalu is a very rich movie - rich in ideas, plot twists, and charming actors. It offers comedy, mostly between the gang of six road builders (including comedian Han Langen); mild romance; two strong female leads who really amazed me, the girls from the tavern; some horror and thrills (starting with different opinions on US$400 checks) in Master Hu's dungeon, including a kind of crucifixion; some war action with a fighter biplane; also a steamroller built by Kemna in Breslau; and ends in an uplifting "ghost story". And that's not all. The boys' nude bathing scene, with the two girls onlooking, is not pornographic at all, yet very tingling...

This might be classified as "leftist drama". And it has a political message of course: the workers are the strongest force, the Communist army (cavalry) helps to save the day. But see above, even if you don't care for those messages, the movie delivers much more. The thrills of a pair of scissors.. the "I love all six of them" scene.. the incident at "Columbus Road"...

What can I say. Let's hope Dalu will be fitted with English intertitles, so that more viewers can share this incredible experience... 9/10.

This movie reminds audience an important historical fact: World War II did not begin in 1941 for China, instead, it started a decade ago when Japanese invaded Manchuria, the northeastern part of China.